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Bloodmount
The Bloodmount is the Locust Horde equivalent of horse-mounted cavalry. They are large, bulky creatures that remain low to the ground. They have a unique physiology in that they use their large muscular arms as legs, essentially walking on their hands. Their true legs dangle beneath their bodies and end in razor sharp talons, which they use as their primary form of attack. As their name implies, they are used as battle-mounts by the new Palace Guard enemies, and as a new class of Grenadier called the Beast Rider. Bloodmounts are fitted with a saddle-like mounting and helmet that appear to house control electronics; the only effective way to keep a Bloodmount under anything resembling control. Bloodmounts make excellent terror units; They can outrun anything on the ground, can take considerable punishment, and can easily navigate difficult terrain. Topping it all off, their bites and claws are capable of causing horrendous damage to targets, and shear through body armor with ease. Bloodmounts and rider units are thankfully uncommon but deadly enemies on the battlefield. The danger lies not so much from the abilities of either of them individually; the Rider is usually not terribly accurate, is fully exposed, and (usually) using a relatively common weapon (often the Hammerburst II,) whilst the Mount itself (while durable and formidable,) is only proficient only in close-combat, where it can tear things to shreds. Unfortunately, the two of them working together make for an intimidating foe - and one with relatively few weaknesses to exploit. In combat, Beast Riders ride their Bloodmounts into combat as either lone pursuit units or in dedicated "hunting packs" of 2-3 beasts. In general, the rider opens fire and attempts to force foes into cover, while the Mount closes in on them. Once in close, the Bloodmount's claws and teeth deal with enemies efficiently and quickly, whilst enemies trying to flee the mount are easy prey for the rider's weapon; this tactic has gone far towards giving Bloodmounts their moniker and has given Beast Riders a reputation for cruelty and a willingness to go after foes, even amongst Locust. Interestingly, Palace Guards using Bloodmounts will use a different tactic entirely; armed with a Torque Bow, Hammerburst II, Gnasher Shotgun, or Boltok Pistol, they will usually snipe from afar, using the Bloodmount's mobility to weave in and out of oncoming fire while slowly closing in. Once in close combat, they bear down on enemies quickly, often targetting a different opponent entirely from the one the Bloodmount is attacking. This results in Palace Guards being extremely quick to change targets and being much more effective at controlling the flow of a fight, at the cost of them generally operating singly. Even among the Locust, Bloodmounts are notoriously ill-tempered and cantankerous. If not fitted with a control harness, they are unique in that they will attack anything nearby, including other Locust units and even its former rider in a berserk frenzy. There is no effective means to regain control of a frenzied Bloodmount (one that rips its helmet/harness off); Locust troops encountering a Frenzied Bloodmount will shoot it on sight. Tactics There are no "perfect" tactics for dealing with Bloodmounts. The combination of reasonable long-range punch, high durability, and a lethal close-combat unit that can operate independantly of the rider makes them a frustrating foe with few legitimate holes in their defenses. Fortunately, there are vulnerabilities one can use to deal with a Bloodmount (or its rider). First and foremost, Bloodmounts are woefully vulnerable to planted grenades - especially Inks. By planting one in an area of low cover, and then backing off, the Rider can be easily convinced (with some gunfire persuasion) to persue you - right over the planted bomb. In many cases, this will eliminate both the rider and mount in a single blast. The dual-nature of the Mount and Rider combination also means they are vulnerable to Boomshot rounds. Though the Torque Bow can damage or kill one, it's virtually impossible to take down both the rider and mount together with it. While extremely risky, one can Frag Tag a Bloodmount, instantly killing both the mount and Rider. Given the stats of both working together, however, this tactic is practically an act of suicide. It's worth noting that the Scorcher can easily deal with both mount and rider, due to the stream's coverage - however, getting this close is extremely dangerous. Courageous or foolhardy Gears intending to use this tactic are highly-advised to fire off the Flamethrower a bit first and use a Perfect Reload to get a range boost - you're gonna need it! A second vulnerability is to shoot the Bloodmount's face. A bloodmount that takes enough damage will resort to instinct, ripping off its control harness and charging after the source of its discomfort. During this time, the bloodmount will not concentrate on the player, allowing a few crucial seconds which may be used to either seriously damage or kill the beast. A Rider whose mount unmasks itself will be thrown to the ground - and more than likely, quickly killed by its former mount as it frenzies. A rider who is knocked from the saddle for any reason - whether the mount threw it off, the mount was killed, or both were knocked over - will be stunned for a short time and an easy target. The rider is generally much easier to kill than the mount, but it is worth noting that the rider being knocked off can - and will - frequently cause the Mount to frenzy. Even if it does not, the Bloodmount is still extremely dangerous on its own, more than capable of killing a Gear in 1-3 attacks. This can be advantageous, however, because killing the rider does stop the suppressing fire, making the Bloodmounts infinitely easier to deal with. These tactics turn Bloodmounts into nothing more than really, really bad-tempered Wretches that cannot be Chainsawed. Trivia *The Bloodmounts have been known to be ridden by Palace Guards towards the end of the campaign, however aside from the increased health and occasional Torque Bow, they are no different in tactics to standard Beast Riders. Beast Riders are Elite Grenadiers with different helmets. This can be noted in Horde. Ironically the low accuracy of Torque Bow using Locust when on a Bloodmount probably makes Bloodmount riders less effective when using Torque Bows as opposed to the Hammerburst. *They appear every 10 waves in Horde. *Due to their high damage and health, their speed, and the ability to bound over cover, this creature is one of the toughest Locust to take down, especially on Horde, where health and damage of both rider and mount are multiplied several times over. *Delta squad passes through a sort of Bloodmount stable/pens on their way to the Locust Palace. The Bloodmounts appear to be kept behind very thick bars when not being ridden suggesting that they're dangerous and hard to control even for their handlers. *The Locust feed them the severed heads of their (human) enemies in their pens, possibly training them to be more lethal in the process ("go for the head"). *It is possible, when playing Horde you can shoot the rider off the Bloodmount, but it glitches and the rider just floats as if riding the Bloodmount but not moving, also if you move into the riders view it will shoot at you. If you approach the floating rider at point-blank range he will melee you without any animation. *NOTE: On any Horde map either Day One or Pavilion, the Boomshields placed on the Waves: 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 keep all enemies out, so it's not wise to make the rider fall off, because then it will be capable of kicking down the shields. References Gears of War 2 Official Site Category:Locust Horde Category:Hollow Creatures